Alby remembers Jaromir Jagr's first visit to Pittsburgh

Twenty-six years ago this month, Jaromir Jagr scored his first NHL goal.

He went on to score another 438 goals in 11 seasons for the Pittsburgh Penguins and remains second behind Mario Lemieux on the Pens’ all-time list with 439 goals, 640 points and 809 games.

Tuesday, Jagr returns to Pittsburgh with the Florida Panthers as the league’s elder statesman.

Jagr’s back where it all started, and his return to Pittsburgh reminds me of his first visit here.

It was the spring of 1990. Jagr was only 18 years old, and had just been drafted by the Penguins with the NHL’s fifth overall pick. He was brought in with an interpreter at his side to meet the media in the Penguins’ locker room at the Civic Arena.

After the standard questions and answers, the reporters were ready to call it a wrap. That is, until I asked Jagr one final question. I wanted to hear the “Kid from Kladno” pronounce my name.

After hearing the question, Jagr smiled and then laughed - not an uncommon reaction upon hearing my name.

There was about a five-second pause, and Jagr then took a stab at what had to be one of the more unique names he had heard.

His version of my surname sounded something like, “ALL-bee OX-en-RYE-tir,” and it brought a comedic end to his inaugural NHL media session.

The following day, a Pittsburgh newspaper columnist wrote that Jagr had been successful in properly pronouncing “Alby Oxenreiter” on the third try and proclaimed that to be “a Pittsburgh record!”

Jagr’s now 44 and recently scored his 750th goal. He ranks third on the NHL’s all-time scoring list. Jagr’s a middle-age man in life, and the oldest player in the league he’s dominated since the first Bush administration.

He’s maneuvered elegantly through a Hall of Fame career with great doses of passion and skill, a rare combination of traits that have secured his place in the history of hockey.

Watch him while you can, because as with Gretzky, Howe, Orr or Lemieux, there will never be another one quite like him.

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